AU Research Unlocks COVID-19 Vaccine Evasion Secret

Dr. Ravikiran Yedidi, Founder of TCABS-E Laboratories, which is incubated at Andhra University, and his team of research scholars have identified a mechanism that may explain how the coronavirus evades current COVID-19 vaccines. The findings, published in an Elsevier journal, point to a lesser-known aspect of spike protein behavior.

According to the study, the viral spike protein can shift between solid and liquid states. Researchers say this shift may interfere with the way vaccine-induced antibodies recognise the virus. Dr. Yedidi noted that such behaviour could lower vaccine efficacy and may also encourage the rise of new variants.

The work, which began in 2022, brought together methods from molecular biology, biotechnology, biochemistry and biophysics, supported by computer-based simulations. The team believes the mechanism they identified will call for changes in future vaccine design so that vaccines can address fast-changing viral structures.

Dr. Yedidi said that artificial intelligence and quantum computing, when used alongside biotechnology, could help in developing vaccines that can adapt to these shifts.

Andhra University Vice-Chancellor Prof. G. P. Rajasekhar commended the researchers for their contribution, describing the discovery as an important step in understanding vaccine resistance.